Super Tuesday: Patient Matfrankland triumphs for $70K (8-8-17)

by Jason Kirk on August 8, 2017 11:04 PM

Chances to win a tournament as consistently tough as the Super Tuesday don't come around often, as Mathew "Matfrankland" Frankland knows well. His last chance was in 2013, when he worked a short stack into serviceable position, got in on the turn with the nut flush, and was outdrawn by a full house on the river to send him packing in ninth place. Tonight he returned to the scene of that defeat and made the most of his second chance, holding steady through two hours of final table play before coming back from a 2-to-1 heads-up deficit to win this week's title.

A couple of well-timed pots with the field down to two tables - one with A♦K♥ against two opponents who both held pocket queens, the other after flopping a set of nines - moved Matfrankland into the lead with 14 players left. Within 40 minutes the field was down to just him and a very accomplished lineup of eight other competitors:

Past Sunday Warm-Up champ yarik1903 drove the action in the early going, winning the only pots worth more than a few big blinds without showdown. So when the Ukrainian player opened for 53,750 chips in the hijack seat and past SCOOP-High runner-up Matas "bebaimis777" Cimbolas picked up A♣J♣, he moved in for 559,457 chips total. yarik1903 called with 8♦8♥, which became eights and treys on the 3♣7♥2♥4♦3♥ board to bust bebaimis777 in ninth.

Back-to-back losses 10 minutes later took out TIITTIIT, who was appearing at a third career Super Tuesday final after previous appearances in 2010 and 2013. First the Canadian player limped for 30,000 chips in the small blind on the first hand with 4♦4♣, then called when Ahhh ls lt?, a past Sunday Million runner-up who won the Sunday Grand PLO back in March, shoved in the big blind for 437,366 total. Ahhh ls lt?'s J♣5♣ made a better flush after the board came K♣9♣2♣6♠Q♣ and TIITTIIT was down to just under 12 big blinds' worth of chips. They all went in from the button on the next hand with A♠J♥ as a re-raise of two-time COOP winner Dhr. Awesome's under-the-gun min-raise to 60,000. Dhr. Awesome called with A♣K♣ and made a pair of kings on the 4♥T♥J♦K♠9♥ board to eliminate TIITTIIT in eighth.

Matfrankland fought for 40 minutes before getting a chance to expand his incoming chip lead in a coin flip. Then toril274, a Sunday Million Special Edition runner-up during WCOOP 2015, opened all-in for 517,052 chips under the gun with T♣T♥. Matfrankland successfully isolated with A♠K♥ in middle position and made aces and nines on the 9♥5♦9♦A♥8♥ board, topping toril274's tens and nines to send the Russian player to the rail in seventh.

The remaining six players took their break at the end of the midnight ET hour before coming back to a 30-minutes stand-off with short-stacked Govert "montecarlo13" Metaal. He was looking for a repeat of his performance two years ago this week, when he went worst-to-first to win the Super Tuesday, and it looked possible after he won with Q♦Q♥ on the button, topping Dhr. Awesome's 9♣9♥ in the big blind for 741,364 chips. But with no more significant wins in the next 15 minutes and the 25,000/50,000/5,000 blinds and antes encroaching on his stack, he ended up moving in for 551,364 chips under the gun with K♥T♦. Ahhh ls lt? called with 5♥5♠ in the big blind and made quads on the T♥K♣5♦6♣5♣ board, topping kings and tens to eliminate montecarlo13 in sixth.

yarik1903 was at nearly 3.9 million chips now after taking down multiple small pots with frequency. Meanwhile, Dhr. Awesome's bid for a third career Super Tuesday title - the Dutch player won this tournament in March 2014 and again in February 2016 - was hanging by a thread. The Dutch player dodged elimination after raising all-in on the button with Q♠T♥ and being called by Matfrankland in the big blind with A♠K♣, going runner-runner for a heart flush to stay alive with 1.1 million chips.

The only player lower was Ahhh ls lt?, who managed to double up as well after getting in with A♣Q♠ against Georges B 1's 8♦8♥ and flopping a pair of queens. Minutes later Matfrankland opened the betting all-in for 3.6 million with K♠4♣ on the button, Georges B 1 called all-in for 284,607 with A♣9♣ in the small blind, and Ahhh ls lt? came along for 724,458 in the big blind with A♠K♦. None of the three connected at all with the J♦2♥6♦T♥3♣ board, giving Ahhh ls lt? the 1.7-million-chip pot and eliminating Georges B 1 in fifth.

That put Dhr. Awesome back into short-stack status with less than 20 big blinds, a stack that was cut in half over the next 15 minutes before being replenished by backing into a flush with A♣6♠ to beat yarik1903's T♣T♥. yarik1903 picked up tens again five hands later and opened with them on the button, then shoved for 3.9 million chips after Ahhh ls lt? re-raised to 336,875 in the big blind. Ahhh ls lt? snap-called with A♦A♠ and stayed ahead until the river of the 3♣Q♥2♥K♥6♥ board, where yarik1903 made a heart flush to beat Ahhh ls lt?'s aces and eliminate the U.K. player in fourth.

Dhr. Awesome took a stand three hands later, calling all-in for just over a million chips with A♥3♦ in the big blind after Matfrankland open-shoved in the small blind with K♥3♠. Dhr. Awesome was left a ten short of a Broadway straight after the board came J♥K♠8♠Q♦9♠, giving the pot to Matfrankland's pair of kings and ending Dhr. Awesome's run in third.

yarik1903's lead sat at 2-to-1 as heads-up play began. It remained the same after about 20 minutes of back-and-forth play that saw both players take down sizeable pots in defiance of any ideas about momentum. But when the end came for the Ukrainian player, it came swiftly.

Matfrankland took over the lead by defending the big blind with J♥T♣ and check-calling two streets of yarik1903 bets before showing down jacks and tens on the river of the 9♥5♠J♦8♥T♦ board. The two players switched positions - Matfrankland now with 5.5 million chips, yarik103 now with 4.1 million - for what would be the last time.

Another pot won with J♣T♦ two minutes later, this time worth 3.1 million chips with a turned straight, kept yarik1903 from making up crucial ground and put Matfrankland in the driver's seat. Within five minutes he min-raised on the button with K♠Q♥ and called when yarik1903 jammed for 2.1 million with 7♦6♦. The board fell 4♣4♥4♠Q♠3♦ and Matfrankland won with fours full of queens to bring the tournament to its conclusion.

The newest Super Tuesday champ, Mathew "Matfrankland" Frankland

Chances like these don't come around often. Congratulations to Mathew "Matfrankland" Frankland for making the most of his!